Ed Hardy has been writing full-time about tech for 25 years, and using it for much longer than that. His intro to Apple was a Macintosh SE/30 (which he still has), but now he uses a 13-inch iPad Pro as his primary computer.
That's because he's a "tablet first" type of guy. Rather than use a Macbook, he connects a keyboard case to the iPad. And instead of a desktop Mac, he connects his tablet to a 27-inch display and full-size keyboard. (So don't try to tell him that everyone has to use a Mac to be productive.)
Before coming to Cult of Mac, Ed wrote for NotebookReview, TabletPCReview and Brighthand, as well as other sites.
Idris Elba will star in Hijack, a thriller series on Apple TV+. Photo: Apple TV+
Apple TV+ landed Hijack, a thriller starring Idris Elba set on a plane that’s been hijacked. It will be a seven-episode series covering seven hours of action, so it’ll be told in real time — a technique that should be familiar to fans of 24.
Apple’s streaming service loves thrillers, and already has quite a few of them, with more on the way.
Both Brave and DuckDuckGo have moved against AMP, one of the ways Google tracks users. Image: Brave/DuckDuckGo
DuckDuckGo and Brave have started bypassing Google’s Accelerated Mobile Pages. Brave says, “AMP harms users’ privacy, security and internet experience.”
The web browsers will ignore these pages, which are surreptitiously hosted by Google, and give users the original publishers’ webpages instead.
The JetDrive Lite 330 might be the best option for Time Machine backups for the 2021 MacBook Pro. Photo: Transcend
The Transcend JetDrive Lite 330 is now available with 1TB of storage. This SD card is designed specifically to add to the capacity of the 2021 MacBook Pro, and sit flush with the card slot.
Once inserted, the card acts like any other drive. And data transfers are fast enough for Time Machine backups.
There's new firmware for the Apple MagSafe Battery Pack, and you are going to want it. Photo: Cult of Mac
Apple’s MagSafe Battery Pack now wirelessly charges iPhones up to 50% more quickly. Ever since the external battery launched in 2021, it topped out at 5W. But now it can wirelessly juice up an iPhone at 7.5W.
Even better, getting the improvement doesn’t require buying a new one — anyone who has the power bank can upgrade it. Here’s what to do.
The Apple Store in Cumberland Mall could soon become the first to have a union. Photo: Apple
Dozens of workers at an Apple store in Atlanta reportedly plan to file a petition with the National Labor Relations Board asking to become a union. Employees at an Apple retail store in New York are moving in that direction, too.
These could be the first U.S. Apple store employees to unionize. Both groups are asking for higher wages.
The iPhone's Communication Safety in Messages feature is already available in the U.S., and is headed for the U.K. Image: Apple
Apple will soon begin rolling out in the United Kingdom a tool intended to protect children from sexual predators. The Messages application will be able to detect if a child’s iPhone gets or sends sexually explicit photos.
The feature is already available in the United States.
Prehistoric Planet will make the Jurassic Park movies look about as scientifically accurate as a Bug Bunny cartoon. Screenshot: Apple TV+
What might be the most visually stunning and scientifically accurate dinosaur documentary in a generation will soon premiere on Apple TV+. The first full trailer for Prehistoric Planet shows it’ll explore many parts of the world of the dinosaurs, from the Arctic to the oceans.
If you can’t imagine a Tyranosaurus Rex being loving or nurturing, then you really need to watch this.
Sadly, Mythic Quest will have to get along without F. Murray Abraham (left). Photo: Apple TV+
F. Murray Abraham reportedly won’t be in season 3 of Mythic Quest. The Oscar-winning actor was an important part of the ensemble cast for the first two seasons while playing quirky writer C.W. Longbottom.
Why the iconic actor is leaving the series is unknown. One possibility: he’s 82 years old.
The days when millions of people could get Netflix for free are coming to an end. Photo: Netflix
If you’ve been using your ex-girlfriend’s parents’ Netflix password for years, there’s a dark day coming. The video streaming service says it’s going to crack down on the 100 million households around the world using another household’s account.
But the company is also considering a cheaper, ad-supported option. That might attract people about to be cut off.
Artists, grab your iPad and Windows laptop. Astropad Studio for PC is here. Photo: Astropad
Astropad released the first Windows version of Astropad Studio, software that turns an iPad into a drawing tablet wirelessly communicating with a laptop or desktop. With it, artists can mirror their favorite professional drawing or painting apps on the tablet, including using an Apple Pencil with Windows software.
The HyperDrive Duo Pro clips to a MacBook and adds HDMI, USB-A, Ethernet and more. Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
The HyperDrive Duo Pro 7-in-2 USB-C Hub plugs into the side of a MacBook to add a variety of useful ports. The standout is Ethernet, but there’s also USB-A, HDMI and microSD.
I did real-world testing of the 2022 version of this clip-on hub, and found that it lives up to the hype.
The front-facing camera in the iPhone 14 might get a significant upgrade. Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
The iPhone 14 will have an autofocus front-facing camera, if a reliable source is correct. Previous iOS handsets used a fixed-focus selfie cam instead.
In addition, the front camera will allegedly have a lower f-stop. Both changes will help make the iPhone 14 a better option for narcissists.
Daisy the robot can disassemble up to 1.2 million phones each year, helping Apple recover more valuable materials for recycling. Photo: Apple
For the first time, Apple is putting certified recycled gold in the iPhone. It’s part of the company’s increased use of recycled content across its products. Because of these efforts, nearly 20% of all material used in Apple products in 2021 was recycled, a new high point for the company.
“As people around the world join in celebrating Earth Day, we are making real progress in our work to address the climate crisis and to one day make our products without taking anything from the earth,” said Lisa Jackson, Apple’s vice president of environment, policy and social initiatives, in a press release Tuesday.
Apple also added a new shredderbot that rips apart audio modules to its robot recycling crew.
Apple TV+ might score a touchdown with NFL Sunday Ticket. Concept: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
Apple might be about to put down billions to intercept NFL Sunday Ticket, which would allow it to stream out-of-market games every week of future football seasons.
A small collection of adapters can really make your life easier. Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
Adapters simplify the sometimes-messy process of connecting things to our computers. I regularly travel, and I’ve found there are three USB adapters that get me through most of my connection problems.
If you, for example, suddenly need to use a new accessory at a client’s office, or get power at an airport, these adapters will get you through. And they are very affordable.
Apple is still hard at work on a HomePod/Apple TV combo with a FaceTime camera. Graphic: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
The next HomePod reportedly won’t be a replacement for the full-size smart speaker. Apple is instead working on a combination Apple TV, HomePod and FaceTime camera.
The device supposedly will be the heart of Apple’s smart home strategy.
Apple is managing to stand out in the streaming market in Q1 2022. Photo: Cult of Mac
More streaming viewers watched the drama CODA on Apple TV+ than any other movie or series during the first three months of 2022, according to a ratings tracker. And the thriller Severance on Apple’s streaming service came in third place overall.
That means Apple TV+ streamed two shows with more viewers than anything on Netflix, Amazon, Hulu or Disney+.
TSMC, the company that makes CPUs for iPhone and Mac, will have a 3 nanometer production process up and running in the second half of 2022. But that’s almost certainly too late for Apple’s upcoming A16 and M2 processors.
Still, these chips will benefit from TSMC’s 4nm process.
Makur Maker is the focus of in The Long Game: Bigger Than Basketball on Apple TV+. Photo: Apple TV+
A docuseries about an NBA hopeful determined to take control of his journey premieres on Apple TV+ on April 22. The Long Game: Bigger Than Basketball tells the story of how Makur Maker, a five-star NBA prospect, ended up at Howard University.
A new trailer for the upcoming series gives an early look at his inspirational story.
Selling anything in Meta’s VR metaverse will cost developers quite a bit. Photo: Meta
Facebook’s parent company Meta will claim almost half of the money third-party developers earn from sales in Horizon Worlds, the VR platform for Quest headsets. An Apple executive says that “lays bare Meta’s hypocrisy,” considering it has criticized Apple in the past for its 30% App Store fee.
Apple invested in the IP Radian Solar project to help offset the electricity used to charge iPhones, Macs, iPads, etc. Photo: Apple
Apple’s suppliers have more than doubled their use of clean power over the last year. There’s over 10 gigawatts operational today. In 2021, these projects avoided 13.9 million metric tons of carbon emissions.
And the iPhone-maker itself is investing in green energy projects.
This is not what you think it is. At all. Photo: by Pablo Rochat
A clever DIY project found a brilliant way to reuse on old MacBook. At first glance, it just seems like an Apple notebook sitting on a desk. Open it up and…
We’re not going to ruin it for you. Just watch the video on Twitter.
Turns out the answer to this question was “do not track” 80% of the time. Photo: Apple/Cult of Mac
A tweak to iOS privacy settings made in 2021 has already cost Facebook $8.1 billion, and the social-networking company’s losses will increase by another $12.8 billion in 2022, according to an industry report.
Forcing applications to ask permission before tracking their users’ online activity hurt other companies, too. But nowhere near as much as Facebook.
It could be summertime before your MacBook Pro with an M1 Max is delivered. Blame COVID. Photo: Apple
Order a MacBook Pro with an M1 Max processor and you’ll wait until June for a delivery. Wait times have grown to 7+ weeks because the company that assembles the notebook for Apple is caught in a COVID lockdown.
The same lockdown caught one of the major iPhone assemblers, and also two iPad assemblers. But it’s not affecting handset or tablet deliveries. Not to the same extent, anyway.